ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to give a synoptic view of this Tikopia ritual cyde, with some general observations on its character. The religious sanction lies in the fact that the ritual cycle is believed to have been instituted primarily by one deity, the principal god of Kafika, who at the same time is worshipped by the chiefs of the other three clans. But into the scheme are drawn also other gods and chiefly ancestors. There is no elaborate system of mythology to explain how the ritual cyde came into being. The Tikopia state simply that the deity of Kafika instituted the rites, and that they themselves are perpetuating his traditional doings. The Tikopia have no fixed calendar and no names for the months or for the days or nights of the month. They count moons or nights of the moon for specific purposes, as in estimating pregnancy or periods between events, but they use no tallies to assist them in this.
